


meet the starks

by nebulaprincess (orphan_account)



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-04 09:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4132587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nebulaprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Arya brings home her boyfriend and an awkward family dinner ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	meet the starks

"So, Gendry, do you have any plans for after you finish school? What university are you going to?"

Gendry set down his fork, shooting Arya a terrified look. In return, she shrugged, just as dumbfounded as he was. Panicking, Gendry replied with, "Uh, I'm not going to uni. At least, not next year."

Silence fell across the table. Bran immediately started playing a game on his phone while Rickon tried to excuse himself to use the bathroom.

"No, Rickon," Catelyn reprimanded him. "So you're not going to uni? That's...interesting. So what are you planning on doing, then?"

Gendry started to panic even more. "Uh...well...maybe a gap year? I help out at the local mechanic's so...I might do that..."

Arya clapped a hand to her forehead and sank down lower into her chair. She immediately knew that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

_"This," Gendry grimaced. "Was a terrible idea."_

_Arya, one arm slung over his shoulder, let out a giggle. "No, it wasn't! It was fantastic! Can we do it again?"_

_"No. You're going straight home."_

_"You're so_ boring! _" Arya blew a raspberry at Gendry. "You don't know the meaning of the word fun!"_

_"So your idea of fun is trying to outdrink the Lannister brothers?"_

_"It was a really good challenge!" Arya bellowed, making her accomplice jump. "I loved him in that...that movie...the small one."_

_"He wasn't in a movie," Gendry laughed._

_"Yeah...yeah he was. The one with..the things...the people with the rings..."_

_"Arya, Tyrion Lannister is_ not _a hobbit."_

_"But he looks exactly like - "_

_Gendry silenced her by covering her mouth with his hand. "Shush. We're on your street now. Your dad's going to be angry enough at both of us_ _when he finds you drunk. He's going to be even angrier if he finds out you're a silly drunk - he'd be more relaxed if you were a sleepy drunk. Anyway. Shut it."_

* * *

 

Continuing to stuff his mouth with gravy-soaked beef and warm, buttery potatoes, Gendry managed to say, "Mrs. Stark, this is the best food I've ever eaten."

Arya nudged him in the elbow and made a subtle gesture towards his mouth. He raised his eyebrows and hurriedly swallowed down the food, wiping his lips on his sleeve. Now that his mouth was empty, he repeated the statement, earning a surprisingly warm smile from Catelyn - for most of the evening she had seemed distant, but now that Gendry had complimented her cooking, something she took great pride in, she was quickly beginning to warm up. Arya flashed her boyfriend a quick smile to let him know that he was making good progress in winning over her parents.

"Thank you, Gendry," said Catelyn, blushing a little. "It's good to see that some people actually have manners around here." She shot a steely glance towards Rickon, who had just let out a loud burp after downing his glass of cola.

"Not as bad as Ygritte," Bran remarked. "Remember her party trick?"

Cringing, Arya remembered what the Starks knew as the Black Christmas - her cousin Jon had brought home his rather rowdy girlfriend Ygritte, who "entertained" the family by drinking beer and sneezing it out through her nose. Although Rickon, Robb and Jon, as well as Jon's mother Lyanna, had all found it hilarious, Ned and Catelyn weren't so amused. Arya wished Gendry could be more like her siblings' partners - Robb's fiancée Talisa was a paediatrician, and Sansa's girlfriend Margaery was from an extremely rich family, and was already a budding politician. Meanwhile _she_ had a boyfriend who was scared of spiders, got terrible grades in school and didn't seem to understand and purpose of a napkin - but she knew that he made her the happiest girl in Winterfell.

* * *

_"Look, we're here. You'd better keep quiet. I'll just ring the bell and leave you here, and you just go in."_

_"But that's so boring! I don't want to go home!"_

_Gendry rolled his eyes. Arya, who made a boy in the year above cry just by staring at him long enough, had turned into a six-year-old after all those shots. She had now started giggling and toying with the buttons on his coat. Exasperated, he pushed her off him as though she were an overly affectionate golden retriever - which, he reminded himself, she basically was._

_"Gendry," she breathed, dragging out the last syllable. She stood on her tiptoes, her eyes only just aligned with the boy's chin. "You look, like, really hot in that outfit."_

_"Thanks," Gendry grimaced, trying to push her off again. He winced as he smelt the vodka on her breath - she was just refusing to get off now._

_Even when he tried picking her up, she wouldn't budge. He held his breath and hoped nothing would happen as his arm darted forward to press the doorbell. As the oddly loud ding-dong resonated throughout the Stark house, Gendry tried to turn to run away from the slightly terrifying Stark patriarch, but it was too late. Like a wild animal catching prey, Arya managed to jump up into Gendry's arms, wrapping her hands around his neck, and furiously pressing her lips to his. It took him several seconds to process what exactly was going on, and once he did, he felt his face burn. He awkwardly scrambled to push her off, but once he realised just how real the kiss seemed, how it clearly wasn't just because Arya was totally hammered, he gave in and started to kiss back._

_The two were so caught up in each other's mouths that they didn't hear footsteps from inside the house becoming louder and louder. As Arya started to push Gendry towards the wall, the front door was opened by Ned Stark, followed closely by his wife. He didn't say anything for a few seconds - once Arya and Gendry stopped making out, they all stood there in silence for a few moments, then Arya walked towards the front door, staggering a little. Ned looked at her, then Gendry, then his daughter again, his cold grey eyes starting to burn in fury._

_"Dad? Arya?"_

_Hearing the small voice, they all looked up to see Bran and Rickon, clad in pyjamas and rubbing their eyes, sitting at the top of the stairs, totally confused. There was yet another silence._

_Then Arya threw up on the welcome mat._

_And that was what caused Ned to chase Gendry all the way home, armed with an umbrella, and what caused Arya to get grounded for two months._

* * *

And now here they were. Arya had carried out her sentence, and she had brought home her boyfriend of two months for the first time. He was just leaving now, having given Ned a rigid handshake and Catelyn a shy kiss on the cheek, which made her blush redder than her hair. Once he was out of the house and walking down the road, Ned and Catelyn called Arya into the living room for a "talk".

"Well, what do you think?" Arya asked, at least trying to seem a little optimistic. "He wasn't that bad, was he?"

Ned sighed, telling Arya that the report couldn't be good. "Well," he began. "What can I say? He was completely undignified. Doesn't seem to be very bright. Occasionally made inappropriate comments. Hardly any manners, although he did make some lovely comments on your mother's cooking. Overall, he's a total nightmare."

Arya's face fell.

"But," Ned continued, with the same glint in his eye that appeared when he slipped Arya an extra ten pounds if she was going out. "He seems like a really nice kid. He was humble, he was funny...in a way. But what was most important was that he made you happy."

She had to stop herself from visibly smiling – at least she wasn't barred from ever seeing her boyfriend again.

"I wouldn't care if you were going out with an axe murderer," Ned said, with a weak smile. "If he treats you right, who am I to judge?"


End file.
